1. Field of the Invention
One or more embodiments of the invention are related to the field of survival tools. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, embodiments enable a compact survival tool made for use in hostile environments that may include a spanner wrench, a castellated or slotted nut wrench or screwdriver, one or more holes or hexagon nut wrenches each optionally having a threaded port to hold threaded accessories or for use as lashing points, a bottle opener, a cutting edge and/or wire strippers optionally formed in jimping, a button compass port and a semi-circular faceted square/hex wrench or any combination thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Survival tools exist in variety of shapes and sizes. Many survival tools emphasize a knife portion, others emphasize pliers or an axe portion. Some of these types of tools include multiple functions and are known as multi-purpose or multi-function tools. Each of these types of tools look most like the originating design, but with added components.
Survival tools that emphasize a knife portion include knives with multiple functions generally utilize multiple blades, some of which are configured as screw drivers, saws, scissors, etc. These tools are modified knives and hence utilize a frame and handle area with folding elements. Knives specifically marketed as survival knives are generally fixed blade knives that evolved from hunting knives during World War II and the Viet Nam war to include serrations on the top portion of the knife blade. The serrations could be used to cut through the fuselage of aircraft to rescue crewmen for example.
Modern survival knives are limited in the number of functions they provide since the number of elements utilized to create a survival knife is limited to a blade, optionally with serrations and a handle. Improvements to survival knives include the addition of a storage area for example. These types of tools are generally not stored in a flat or small area since they are thick based on the width and number of blades/tools that are held in the frame.
Survival tools that emphasize pliers include LEATHERMAN® and other multi-tool devices that include a pair of pliers in the handles of which are knife blades, screw drivers, files, etc. These tools are generally relatively heavy and not possible to store in a flat area for example.
Survival tools that emphasize an axe generally provide large internal holes for fingers and hands so that the axe may be gripped from inside the tool body, thereby making the overall size of the axe too large to store in a small area. This allows for use of the axe as a hand axe, or for cutting or scraping.
Survival tools are also known to exist in credit card format, but these tools are generally very thin and have cutting edges or sawing edges on two consecutive sides, therefore making it impossible to grip any two opposing sides of the apparatus to use another side of the tool. In addition, known credit card size survival tools are so thin that they cannot be gripped on opposing sides without potentially cutting ones hands since the metal is so thin, even if it was not sharpened. For example, known credit card sized multi-function devices do not include grips on opposing sides of the tool body. In addition, even if they did the tool body is not thick enough to provide a usable depth between the two opposing sides of the apparatus to make for a good grip. Furthermore, there are no known credit card apparatus that employ jimping on opposing sides so as to provide a secure grip in wet conditions for example.
In minimalistic survival scenarios, carrying a multitude of tools is not possible. In such hostile environments, life may depend on having a survival tool that is robust and capable of performing multiple functions, and which may be packed in a small space or hidden. For at least the limitations described above there is a need for a compact survival tool.